EDITORIAL – Final address delivers unrealistic requests

In his final State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush delivered his somber, if… In his final State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush delivered his somber, if optimistic vision for the remainder of his term in office. Bush, no doubt reflecting on his seven years of presidency, also spent a great deal of time dwelling on past achievements and setting goals that will far outlast his presidency. During his address, the president presented long and short-term goals that would address our current economic, energy and foreign policy crises, three of the issues that we feel are the most pressing concerns that our country faces today.

Bush immediately addressed the current economic recession, calling for Congress to act swiftly in approving a $150 billion anti-recession plan, which was crafted by both Republican and Democratic leaders – including presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama – in Congress. We support the president’s call to pass this legislation swiftly and applaud the president for encouraging a bipartisan solution to an urgent economic crisis.

For the seventh and final time in a State of the Union address, Bush emphasized the importance of addressing the global energy crisis, both by cutting harmful greenhouse gas emissions and investing in the development of alternative energy sources. And for the seventh time, we doubt that the Bush administration will follow through on its goals. In his address, Bush called on the United States to become a world leader in combating the energy crisis, yet during his administration we’ve watched our country stand behind as other nations took the lead in beginning the battle against global climate change. In order to truly tackle global climate change, we need more than empty rhetoric. While tackling climate change is a global effort, we can’t lead by example unless our country passes legislation regulating carbon emissions and increases funding that would encourage alternative energy – such as wind, solar and wave energy – usage.

Bush’s foreign policy agenda shaped much of his presidency and, appropriately, rounded out his address. In words we’ve heard before, Bush again emphasized the threat of global terrorism and the obligation our country has to protect democracies throughout the world. Iraq will become Bush’s legacy, and his final call to stay the course was expected. We have disagreed and will continue to disagree with the invasion of Iraq and believe that our continued presence in Iraq is only draining our resources at home and encouraging anti-American sentiment abroad. In the past, Bush has warned against Iran’s development of a nuclear weapons program, and he continued to emphasize the country’s global threat in his speech, despite National Intelligence Estimate findings that show that Iran is not a nuclear threat. The president has shown little vocal interest in pursuing a diplomatic approach with Iran, and we worry that his strong words will only hasten the divide between our two countries.

In recent months, Bush has worked to reshape his legacy, which will depend greatly on who will succeed him, a factor that couldn’t be ignored during the address. Camera cuts to Democratic presidential candidates Clinton and Obama reminded us that in only a year, we could be hearing a much different presidential address, one that will hopefully define a new vision for our future.